Sheridan reports LeBron will come home

CLEVELAND -- NBA reporter Chris Sheridan says free-agent forward LeBron James will be returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers, per a league source.

According to the report, James met with Miami Heat president Pat Riley yesterday to inform him of the decision to return to the Cavaliers, Sheridan's source said.

Sheridan described Wednesday's meeting by saying that Riley did his best to convince James to stay with the Heat because of stability in ownership and the front office, as compared to Cleveland, who has "a meddling owner" in Dan Gilbert.

Gilbert has changed coaches and general managers multiple times in the four years since James left Cleveland for Miami.

If James decides to return to Cleveland, where his career began after being chosen with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, he will join a team in much better shape than when he left four years ago, according to Sheridan's report..

Although the Cavaliers have failed to make the playoffs since James left in July of 2010, they announced a five-year contract extension with All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving on Thursday afternoon, and selected Kansas standout Andrew Wiggins with the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft last month.

Sheridan outlined three main points as to why James would return to Cleveland, including the fact that he accomplished the mission of winning multiple championships, two, with the Heat, the importance of legacy to James, who if he could lead the Cavaliers to a championship would snap a 50-year title drought for the city, and Irving is the best player on either team not named LeBron James.